Each of the panellists provided examples of how their businesses are handling the pandemic, and offered practical solutions for communicating with staff, stakeholders, and media when there is more noise than ever.

Highlights from the roundtable include:

Renee gave us an insight into how Cannings is going that extra mile for clients during these unprecedented times by “bringing them news intelligence insights every day”. She spoke about how the fundamentals of communications remain the same, but during this crisis in particular, “people need to sit with uncertainty for longer.” Renee also offered her expertise on how to pace communication and not exhaust people.

Peter spoke about how this crisis is different from other crises we have experienced in the past, for the fact that it will “play out over an extended period of time and there’s going to be uncertainty for six or twelve months.” He offered advice on whether it is better to over communicate during the crisis, and just how fast companies need to be in communicating with their various stakeholders. Peter also delved into the other methods of communication companies must employ now that “there is absolute saturation of news around COVID-19.”

Carden referenced past crises, such as 9/11 and the GFC, explaining what “we can look at and use to predict and plan for the future.” She pointed out the benefits of looking to other markets that were “way ahead of us in this epidemic and the economic consequences” that follow. Carden also gave an example of how a top CEO is communicating with super fund members through “quite personal forms of communication which are direct, they’re heartful, and they’re not too complicated."

You watch each of the panellists offering their top tip for leaders communicating during the crisis above.